The 18-years-old from agricultural belt of Dewas in Madhya Pradesh unsuccessfully attempted to cross 5.20m at the Bambolim Athletics stadium but said the competition was valuable learning experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe World U20 scheduled to be held in Lima will be a good opportunity for me to further scale new heights,\u201d said the trainee of Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy in Bhopal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The sprinter-turned-pole vaulter, was spotted in November 2020 by the talent search team of the Madhya Pradesh government. He was initially selected for short sprints, but later switched to pole vault as he showed more interest in the jumping event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe (Meena) has good fundamentals to be a jumper, \" Sanjay Garnaik, former head of the Bhopal athletics academy said. \u201cHe showed interest in pole vault and has made good progress in the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
According to Garnaik, a senior multi-discipline athletics coach, pole vault is a technical event and it takes a minimum of four to five years to master the fundamentals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMeena has proved to be a good learner. He is always eager to work hard. But there is a process of gradually building up to avoid early burnout,\u201d Garnaik added. \u201cWith more speicialised training programme in future we expect better results from him.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite having established himself as the leading pole vaulter at the junior level, Meena often works with his father at the fields and believes it\u2019s an excellent way to keep fit. \u201cWhen I\u2019m not at the academy in Bhopal, I like to work at the farm. It is like good cross training in the gym,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meena said a decision to get enrolled at athletics academy in Bhopal was a turning point. \u201cAt the village we don\u2019t have good facilities or coaching to become national level athletes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Garnaik recently shifted his base from Bhopal to Bhubaneswar in Odisha, but still guide the young Madhya Pradesh athlete.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
To further improve Meena\u2019s pole vaulting skills search is on for a foreign expert. \u201cProper grooming is important. The Madhya Pradesh government has agreed to sanction funds for international exposure. Or for an appointment of a foreign expert for specialisation,\u201d Garnaik revealed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2023\/11\/teenage-pole-vaulter-dev-meena-clinches-gold-qualifies-for-world-u20.jpeg", "alt_img": "Teenage pole vaulter Dev Meena clinches gold, qualifies for World U20", "alt_title": "Teenage pole vaulter Dev Meena clinches gold, qualifies for World U20", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Teenage Pole Vaulter Dev Meena Clinches Gold, Qualifies For World U20 On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Teenage Pole Vaulter Dev Meena Clinches Gold, Qualifies For World U20, World U20 Athletics Championships: Madhya Pradesh teenage pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena scaled a height of 5.16m to not only.", "seo_keywords": "Dev Meena, World U20, Madhya Pradesh, Dev Kumar Meena, National Games, World U20 Athletics Championships, Bambolim Athletics, The World U20, Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy, Sanjay Garnaik, The Madhya Pradesh", "tag": "", "tagging": "Dev Meena, World U20, Madhya Pradesh, Dev Kumar Meena, National Games, World U20 Athletics Championships, Bambolim Athletics, The World U20, Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy, Sanjay Garnaik, The Madhya Pradesh", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "teenage-pole-vaulter-dev-meena-clinches-gold-qualifies-for-world-u20", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "693", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "0", "created": "2023-11-01 19:02:02", "updated": "2023-11-01 19:02:02", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Dev Meena, World U20, Madhya Pradesh, Dev Kumar Meena, National Games, World U20 Athletics Championships, Bambolim Athletics, The World U20, Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy, Sanjay Garnaik, The Madhya Pradesh", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2023-11-01 19:02:02", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "0", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "sports_name": "others", "cnmid": "816693", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/sports-news\/teenage-pole-vaulter-dev-meena-clinches-gold-qualifies-for-world-u20-10021" }